Kissell, who joined the staff weeks after founding editor Will Swaim ended his 12-year run at the helm in 2007, also announced that Gustavo Arellano will assume the editor's post "effective 5:01 p.m." this Friday, Dec. 2."I joined OC Weekly in 2007 under some pretty strange circumstances, unsure what kind of reception I'd get upon entering the building," Kissell writes in his email. "To my relief and delight, the paper's incredible staff was both professional and welcoming--well, except for Coker, who ran screaming to Sacramento, but hey, water under the bridge, right?"

Gustavo Arellano

​Kissell mentioned that he's proud of the industry awards the paper he edited captured during his four and a half years here, including honors from the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards, the Best American Crime Reporting anthology, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the Maggie Awards, and the Los Angeles and Orange County press clubs.

"I'm honored to have been a part of such an exemplary band of muckrakers, and I'm even more gratified that we pulled it off during the most challenging economic times our industry has ever faced," he writes, "and while making an on-the-fly transition to being a daily online publication, as well as a weekly newspaper."

Prior to joining the Weekly, Kissell worked as an
associate editor and staff writer for Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach, South Florida
publications of our overlord Village Voice Media (VVM). Kissell left Broward in 2003 after
receiving a Fulbright Scholarship that allowed him to spend
a year doing research in Mexico

He ends his note by saying "the time is right" to pursue new challenges, knowing "I'm leaving the paper in good shape--and in good hands."

Actually, he ends with "Que les vaya bien" but, having run screaming to Sacramento before finishing my online Spanish class, I have no idea what the fuck that means. So, I turned to another fluent Spanish speaker--Arellano--for a translation. I believe "The Mexican" of ¡Ask a Mexican! fame misunderstood what I was asking for.

"I want to thank all the skinheads, pedophile priests, Know Nothings, and
battleship tacos that made this day possible," Arellano said of taking over the editor's office. "I look forward to
continuing the Weekly's mission of comforting the afflicted and
afflicting the comfortable with the best damn group of writers this side
of the Fortean Times. And I promise to offer our disgraced, felonious
ex-sheriff Mike Carona a complimentary subscription to our rag so he can
get his jollies off to our backpage ads!"

Arellano, who grew up and went to high school in Anaheim, began freelancing at the Weekly in 2001 and became a staffer upon graduating from UCLA with a master's degree in Latin American studies in 2003.

Having served as managing editor the past year and a half, Arellano will continue as editor to author his popular syndicated column, ¡Ask a Mexican!, which won the 2006 and 2008 Association of Alternative Weeklies (AAN) Award for Best Column. He'll also keep contributing to the Weekly's tasty food coverage. Indeed, he's rolled some of that knowledge into his forthcoming third book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.

A press release about Arellano assuming the editorship that VVM submitted to AAN today notes that OC Weekly's new editorial chief "is the proud son of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom was illegal."

On the next page is Kissell's complete email to the entire OC Weekly staff, followed the page after that by the complete press release VVM submitted to AAN: